As a parent, you’ve almost certainly heard your preschooler talking in their sleep. Whether they were speaking gibberish or stringing a long and random sentence together, it probably didn’t make much sense, and it probably made you laugh rather a lot.

Sometimes sleep talking is merely a series of unintelligible noises; sometimes sleep talkers have whole conversations with themselves! Some speak in a quiet and almost eerie voice; others in a loud and highly emotional one. Most of the time it’s very amusing, distinctly brief, and entirely harmless, and if it isn’t bothering anyone, there’s absolutely no need to do anything about it.

However, if the episodes of sleep speech are long, loud and frequent, waking you or a neighbouring sibling, there are a few steps you can take. But first, let’s get to the bottom of why children talk in their sleep.

Why do so many kids sleep talk?

Although the exact cause for sleep talking is unknown, it is thought to be linked to both excitement and worry and can run in families. Whether they’re joining a new preschool, meeting new friends, or going on an exciting holiday, it is believed that sleep talking increases when a child is feeling overly emotional. It is also a behaviour that’s associated with sleepwalking, teeth grinding and nightmares.

But how do you prevent excessive sleep talking in kids?

It could prove unhelpful to bring sleep talking to your preschooler’s attention, as it might cause them unnecessary worry. However, we’ve come up with 4 strategies that should come in handy if your preschooler happens to be a nighttime conversationalist:

As previously stated, excessive sleep talking is often a response to a change in a child’s life. It could be as simple as getting a new pet, as hectic as moving to a new house, or as complicated as a parents’ divorce. If this is the case with your preschooler, the sleep talking will most likely settle over time. If you can’t link your child’s sleep talking to any particular event, you might try talking with your child and finding out if something is causing them any extra stress that you haven't noticed. You can then go about helping them through the problem in a calm and supportive manner, perhaps buying a book that approaches the topic in a child-friendly way.

In children, sleep talking is also associated with not getting enough sleep. If your preschooler isn’t getting between 10 and 13 hours of sleep a day, including naps, think about modifying their bedtime to an earlier hour.

Inconsistent sleep times is another cause of unusual sleep behaviour. So it’s important that you establish and then keep strict bed and wake times. Preschoolers will generally go to sleep between the hours of 7pm and 8pm and wake between 6am and 8am.

Heavy meals before bed contribute to wakefulness, so make sure your child eats their dinner a couple of hours before bed and only offer them a light snack if they’re especially hungry.

If none of the above strategies makes a difference to your child’s sleep talking and they continue to wake a sibling sleeping in the same room, think about changing the sleeping set-up or investing in some heavy-duty earplugs.

What should I do about my child’s sleep talking?

Do you need to do anything? Unii knows.